SEOUL, Oct. 14 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest memory chipmaker, is forecast to invest US$9.2 billion in semiconductors next year, topping capital expenditures by other chipmakers for two straight years, an industry report showed Thursday.

The projection, made in a recent report by market researcher Gartner Inc., represents a slight decline from the company's capital expenditure this year. Samsung Electronics revised up its chip investment for 2010 to $9.6 billion in a bid to widen gaps with its second-tier rivals.